Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator includes a lower box which moves forward or backward in a storage chamber and an upper box which is prepared above the lower box to move in the forward or backward direction. The refrigerator includes a sliding rail unit guiding forward and backward movement of the upper box, a bracket which is prepared between the upper box and the sliding rail unit to combine the upper box and the sliding rail unit, and a release-lock member, which includes a handle on an upper surface and an inclined surface at one side of a lower surface. The release-lock member is inserted into insert holes formed in the upper box and the bracket to fix the bracket to the upper box, thereby preventing the upper box from being separated from the sliding rail unit when the upper box moves forward or backward.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0019190, filed on Feb. 26, 2007 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerator including a drawer type storage box provided at a lower portion of a body and an upper box provided at an upper portion of the storage box.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a refrigerator includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator to generate cool air by using heat exchange according to the phase change of refrigerant and provides the cool air through a predetermined passage to a storage chamber, in which foodstuffs are stored, thereby keeping the various foodstuffs fresh for a long period of time.

Such a refrigerator includes a body forming an external appearance of the refrigerator, in which a storage chamber divided into a freezing chamber and a cooling chamber is provided. Recently, for the convenience of the user, a refrigerator including a storage chamber, in which a cooling chamber storing beverages and foodstuffs for a short period of time is provided at the upper portion of the storage chamber, and a freezing chamber provided at the lower portion of the storage chamber, has become more common.

The freezing chamber of the refrigerator described above includes a storage box containing foodstuffs, and a drawer type door is installed at the front of the storage box such that the storage box can be easily withdrawn/received from/into the refrigerator. In addition, an additional storage box is provided above the storage box in the freezing chamber to contain foodstuffs separately from the storage box.

The storage box described above can come in/out by a sliding rail unit installed between the upper box and sidewalls of the freezing chamber. The storage box is fixed to the sliding rail unit to prevent the upper box from being separated from the sliding rail when the upper box comes out.

Meanwhile, when the refrigerator has been used for a long period of time, the storage box may be contaminated by the foodstuffs or may be broken. In this case, the user must wash or repair the storage box by disassembling the upper box from the sliding rail unit. However, according to the refrigerator of the related art, the storage box cannot be easily disassembled from the sliding rail unit, causing inconvenience to the user.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator capable of preventing a storage box, which is provided in the freezing chamber, from being separated from the freezing chamber when the storage box comes in/out, while allowing the storage box to be easily disassembled from the freezing chamber.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator comprising a body forming an external appearance of the refrigerator; a storage chamber which is formed in the body, a front of the storage chamber being opened; a storage box prepared to move in forward and backward directions in the storage chamber; a sliding rail unit which is installed between the storage box and side walls of the storage chamber to allow the storage box to forward or backward move relative to the body while guiding the storage box; and a release-lock member which prevents the storage box from being separated from the sliding rail unit when the storage box moves forwardly or backward along the sliding rail unit.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the storage box includes a lower box connected to a door of the storage chamber and an upper box above the lower box.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a bracket is between the upper box and the sliding rail unit to fix the upper box to the sliding rail unit.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the release-lock member fixes the upper box to the bracket, and includes a head portion resting on the upper box and an insert portion downwardly extending from the head portion to be inserted into the upper box and the bracket.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the upper box has a fixing groove on which the head portion is rested, and a first insert hole is formed in a middle of the fixing groove to allow the insert portion to be inserted.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a second insert hole is formed on an upper surface of the bracket to communicate with the first insert hole, and the insert portion passing through the first insert hole is inserted into the second insert hole.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a handle protrusion upwardly protrudes on an upper surface of the insert portion such that the release-lock member is easily separated from the insert hole.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a locking protrusion is formed at one side of the insert portion, and a locking hole is formed at one side of the bracket so as to be locked with the locking protrusion when the release-lock member is inserted.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an inclined surface is formed at one side of a lower end portion of the insert portion of the release-lock member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view representing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view representing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view representing a structure of a freezing chamber of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view representing a structure of a freezing chamber of the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side-sectional view for explaining separation of a release-lock member from the refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view representing a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view representing a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view representing a structure of a freezing chamber of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view representing a structure of a freezing chamber of the refrigerator according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a side-sectional view for explaining separation of a release-lock member from the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a body 10 forming an external appearance of the refrigerator, and a storage chamber is provided in the body 10. The storage chamber is divided into an upper part and a lower part by a partition 15, so that the upper part of the storage chamber is used as a cooling chamber and the lower part of the storage chamber is used as a freezing chamber.

Doors 21 and 31 are installed on each front surface of the storage chambers 20 and 30 so as to selectively open and close the storage chambers 20 and 30. In this case, side by side doors 21, which are rotatably opened/closed, are installed at both sides of the front surface of the cooling chamber 20 and a drawer type door 31, which is forwardly and backwardly moved to be open/closed, is installed on the front surface of the freezing chamber 30.

A plurality of shelves 22 are installed on a rear side of the door 21 of the cooling chamber 20 in a multi-step structure so as to conveniently load foodstuffs thereon. Similarly, a plurality of shelves 23, and a drawer or a housing member having a basket shape are installed in the cooling chamber 20.

Here, an evaporator 24 of a freezing cycle and a blowing fan 25 are installed at a rear side of the cooling chamber 20 in an inner side of the body 10 to generate cool air and feed the cool air into the cooling chamber 20. An evaporator 34 of a freezing cycle and a blowing fan 35 are installed at a rear side of the freezing chamber 30 in an inner side of the body 10 so as to generate cool air and feed the cool air into the freezing chamber 30. In addition, a machine chamber 36 including a compressor and a condenser is provided in the body 10 to compress refrigerant and condense the refrigerant, and then feed the refrigerant into the evaporator 34.

A storage box is prepared in the freezing chamber 30 so as to store foodstuffs therein, and the storage box includes a lower box 41 which is connected with the door 31 of the freezing chamber 30 and an upper box 50 which is prepared above the lower box 41.

Here, the lower box 41 is prepared to move forward and backward when the door 31 of the freezing chamber 30 is withdrawn by a user. To this end, a sliding rail unit 42 is prepared between the lower box 41 and side walls of the freezing chamber 30 to guide the lower box 41 when the lower box 41 moves forward and backward.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper box 50 is prepared above the lower box 41. A rim 51 including an extension portion 51 a, which outwardly extends from a body of the upper box 50, and a bending portion 51 b, which is bent downward from the extension portion 51 a, is formed on the upper box 50.

Bracket 60 is coupled to both lateral sides of the upper box 50. The bracket 60 is coupled to the side surface of the upper box 50 as described above, and an upper surface 60 a of the bracket 60 makes contact with a lower side of the extension portion 51 a of the rim 51 of the upper box 50.

An additional sliding rail unit 70 is prepared between the bracket 60 and sidewalls of the freezing chamber 30 so as to allow the upper box 50 to move forward or backward while guiding the upper box 50. In this case, the sliding rail unit 70 is prepared in the form of triple rails such that the upper box 50 can easily move forward or backward. That is, the sliding rail unit 70 includes a first rail 70 a fixed to both side surfaces of the upper box 50, a third rail 70 c fixed to the sidewalls of the freezing chamber 30 and a second rail 70 b connecting the first rail 70 a with the third rail 70 c.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a release-lock member 80 is prepared so as to prevent the upper box 50 from being separated from the sliding rail unit 70, when the upper box 50 moves forward/backward by fixing the upper box 50 to the bracket 60. The release-lock member 80 includes a head portion 81 rested on the upper box 50 and an insert portion 83 inserted into the upper box 50 and the bracket 60. This will be described later in detail.

First, in order to fix the upper box 50 using the release-lock member 80, a predetermined part of the extension portion 51 a formed at the peripheral area of the upper box 50 is downwardly recessed to form a fixing groove 56 on which the head portion 81 is rested.

Then, a first insert hole 57 is formed at the center of the fixing groove 56 of the upper box 50, and the insert portion 83 extending downward from the head portion 81 is inserted into the first insert hole 57. In addition, a second insert hole 61 communicating with the first insert hole 57 is formed at the upper surface of the bracket 60, and the insert portion 83, which is inserted into the first insert hole 57, is inserted into the second insert hole 61, thereby preventing the release-lock member 80 from being separated from the first rail 70 a of the sliding rail unit 70.

That is, according to the embodiment of the present invention, due to the release-lock member 80 fixedly inserted into the upper box 50 and the bracket 60, the upper box 50 is fixed to the bracket 60 when the upper box 50 moves forward or backward, thereby preventing the upper box 50 from being separated from the sliding rail unit 70.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the refrigerator has been used for a long time, the upper box 50 may be contaminated by foodstuffs stored in the upper box 50 or may be broken. In this case, the release-lock member 80, which is fixed to the upper box 50 and the bracket 60, must be separated to disassemble the upper box 50.

To this end, as shown in FIG. 5, a handle 86 is formed at an upper surface of the head portion 81 of the release-lock member 80 such that the user can easily separate the release-lock member 80 from the upper box 50 and the bracket 60. An inclined surface 84 is formed at a lower end of the insert portion 83 of the release-lock member 80 such that the user can separate the release-lock member 80 by lifting the release-lock member 80 using the handle 86.

In addition, a locking protrusion 87 is formed at a side surface of the insert portion 83 such that the release-lock member 80 is firmly fixed to the bracket 60. The locking protrusion 87 is formed only at one side surface of the insert portion 83 such that the release-lock member 80 can be easily separated. A locking hole 63 is formed in the bracket 60 such that the locking protrusion 87 can be inserted into the locking hole 63.

That is, according to the embodiment of the present invention, in order to easily separate the release-lock member 80, which prevents the upper box 50 from being separated by fixing the upper box 50 to the bracket 60, the handle 86 is formed at the upper surface of the release-lock member 80 and the inclined surface 84 is formed at the lower surface release-lock member 80. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the release-lock member 80 can be easily disassembled from the upper box 50 and the bracket 60.

As described above, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, the release-lock member prevents the upper box from being separated from the sliding rail unit when the upper box moves forward/backward, while allowing the upper box to be easily dissembled.

Although an embodiment has been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

1. A refrigerator comprising: a body forming an external appearance of the refrigerator; a storage chamber which is formed in the body, a front of the storage chamber being opened; a storage box accommodated in the storage chamber to move forward and backward in the storage chamber; a sliding rail unit which is installed between the storage box and side walls of the storage chamber to allow the storage box to move forward or backward relative to the body while guiding the storage box; and a release-lock member which prevents the storage box from being separated from the sliding rail unit when the storage box moves forward or backward along the sliding rail unit.
 2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage chamber comprises a door and the storage box includes a lower box connected to the door of the storage chamber and an upper box above the lower box.
 3. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a bracket, between the upper box and the sliding rail unit to fix the upper box to the sliding rail unit.
 4. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 3, wherein the release-lock member fixes the upper box to the bracket, and includes a head portion rested on the upper box and an insert portion downwardly extending from the head portion to be inserted into the upper box and the bracket.
 5. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, wherein the upper box has a fixing groove on which the head portion is rested, and a first insert hole is formed in a middle of the fixing groove to receive the insert portion.
 6. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a second insert hole formed on an upper surface of the bracket to communicate with the first insert hole, and the insert portion passing through the first insert hole is inserted into the second insert hole.
 7. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a handle to protrude upward from an upper surface of the insert portion such that the release-lock member is separated from the insert hole.
 8. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a locking protrusion formed at one side of the insert portion, and a locking hole formed at one side of the bracket so as to be locked with the locking protrusion when the release-lock member is inserted.
 9. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 4, further comprising an inclined surface formed at one side of a lower end portion of the insert portion of the release-lock member.
 10. A refrigerator comprising: a body forming an external appearance of the refrigerator; a storage chamber which is formed in the body, a front of the storage chamber being opened; a storage box accommodated in the storage chamber to move forward and backward in the storage chamber; a sliding rail unit which is installed between the storage box and side walls of the storage chamber to allows the storage box to move forward or backward relative to the body while guiding the storage box; a bracket, between the storage box and the sliding rail unit to fix the storage box to the sliding rail unit; and a release-lock member which prevents the storage box from being separated from the sliding rail unit when the storage box moves forward or backward along the sliding rail unit and includes a head portion rested on the storage box and an insert portion downwardly extending from the head portion to be inserted into the storage box and the bracket.
 11. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the storage chamber comprises a door and the storage box includes a lower box connected to the door of the storage chamber and an upper box above the lower box.
 12. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bracket is installed between the upper box and the sliding rail unit.
 13. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 12, wherein the upper box has a fixing groove on which the head portion is rested, and a first insert hole is formed in a middle of the fixing groove to receive the insert portion.
 14. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a second insert hole formed on an upper surface of the bracket to communicate with the first insert hole, and the insert portion passing through the first insert hole is inserted into the second insert hole.
 15. A refrigerator comprising: a storage box to move in first and second directions; a sliding rail unit, the storage box moving in the first and second directions along the sliding rail unit; a bracket, between the storage box and the sliding rail unit to fix the storage box to the sliding rail unit, and a release-lock member to selectively attach/detach the storage box to/from the sliding rail unit and to include a head portion rested on the storage box and an insert portion downwardly extending from the head portion to be inserted into the storage box and the bracket.
 16. A refrigerator comprising: a storage box to move in first and second directions; a sliding rail unit, the storage box moving in the first and second directions along the sliding rail unit; and a release-lock member to selectively attach/detach the storage box to/from the sliding rail unit. 